ADAP Advocacy and the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) have issued a joint statement warning pharmacists that all discounted HIV products purchased from online pharmacy-to-pharmacy (P2P) marketplaces fit the definition of suspect product under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. The organizations strongly advise pharmacies not to buy from these platforms and to consider any HIV medicines obtained through such channels as suspect, requiring immediate quarantine and verification before dispensing.
Shabbir Imber Safdar, PSM's Executive Director, emphasized that a deeply discounted HIV product bought online from an unknown seller without a pedigree qualifies as suspect even before receipt, because the listing alone meets multiple FDA risk criteria for illegitimacy, including deep discounts, a pattern of fraud in the HIV drug supply chain over the past six years, unknown sellers, and incomplete transaction histories. Once received, damaged packaging often confirms the need for quarantine and investigation.
Online P2P marketplaces are designed to help pharmacies manage inventory but also pose risks of suspicious sales. Dispensers are required to quarantine and investigate suspect products and report any illegitimate products to the FDA and partners within 24 hours. Brandon M. Macsata, CEO of ADAP Advocacy, noted that independent pharmacies have also been known to trade stock in less formal settings like WhatsApp or Telegram, which are even more vulnerable and never advisable. He urged pharmacists to heed the warning and avoid exposing patients to unnecessary risks.
The full warning is available at https://www.safemedicines.org/diverted-hiv-meds-on-p2p-platforms. The organizations stress that patients living with HIV/AIDS are potentially being put at risk by these diverted medicines.
